‘Killing could ignite world war’

‘Foolish step in Syria disastrous’

“IN HIS report, ‘Could Trump Truly Assassinate Assad?’ published in the US magazine The National Interest, US political analyst Daniel R. DePetris points out that assassinations were part of US intelligence activities during the early stages of the Cold War,” columnist and director general and the editor-in-chief of Sawt (voice) Al-Arab Satellite TV Channel wrote for

daily. “He cited the repeated US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) attempts to kill the late Cuban president Fidel Castro in the 1960s as ‘the first enemy of the American intelligence community’. Such attempts actually included among other things contaminated Castro’s diving suits (with a fungus that would produce a chronic and debilitating skin disease).

“Apart from the above, the CIA had provided one of the Cuban officials a pen with a hypodermic needle concealed within a pen tinted with fatal poison, according to DePetris. By the way, DePetris along with his veteran colleague Karl Prenstine is one of the best American investigative journalists. These two journalists had unearthed ‘The Watergate Scandal’.

“DePetris, who actually graduated from the celebrated American Yale University, said Washington had indirectly participated in other assassination schemes. The former American president John Fitzgerald Kennedy was informed about a scheme which resulted in the assassination of the Vietnamese leader Ngo Den Diem in 1963.

“However, although the former US president Gerald Ford had imposed a ban on these operations through an executive order in 1976 his successor the later former president Ronald Reagan endorsed the same after many years through another executive order.

“DePetris emphasized, the incumbent President Donald Trump reserves the right to implement his own desire and assassinate any foreign president by nullifying the Reagan order and substitute the same with another less restrictive, but the US Congress in turn, reserves the right to respond to the master of the White House by including the Reagan ban in the US Constitution.

“Speaking of the repercussions of the prospective assassination of the Syrian president, DePetris has actually warned of the danger of this measure. He has ruled out bombing of Al-Assad’s presidential palace and that shall prevent the ruling regime of Syria from oppressing the Syrian opposition for the latter are loyal to the foreigners at the expense of the security, safety and stability of its country.

“Meanwhile, DePetris says Russia shall not accept the assassination of Al-Assad. On the other hand, the analyst sees that the return to the assassination policy shall be a stigma on the forehead of the United States in the eyes of the entire world.

“Moreover, this shall help aggravate the differences between Washington and the Europeans and shall eventually push the United Nations to impose surveillance on Washington and this prospective action shall provide Washington’s opponents an effective propaganda material.

“However, the political analyst didn’t refer to Washington’s mistakes either in Iraq, Yemen or in Libya, nor to Trump’s decisions on shifting of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and his shameful decisions in the United Nations including UNESCO and UNRWA.

“Likewise, he didn’t refer to the United States involvement in many conspiracies including the assassination of the former president of Chile Dr Salvador Allende or to the abduction of Panama’s former president Emmanuel Noriega or to other atrocious crimes committed by the former American president, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or The Pentagon (the US Defense Department).

“It is needless to say, however, scores of people and may be hundreds or thousands of them who worked in the United States or Americans, some of them tycoons and other businessmen were involved in a lot of inventions and discoveries in all fields which had served humanity in the fields of science, telecommunications, transport, medicine and space and many of them had actually managed to prevent the eruption of wars around the globe in addition to their role in relieving and rescuing the poor leaving behind a noble footprint.

“But it looks like the tendency of interests mostly tilts to devilish action for the sake of defending these interests against the rights of the others as well as against the principles. Hence, there are fears at the moment that the incumbent American President is likely to commit some foolishness that shall lead to a destructive ‘third world war’.

“This is because he is not a politician but a businessman who seeks wealth and his concern at the moment centers on remedying the deteriorating US economy. This deterioration has resulted in mistakes besetting the US policies and due to the problems America has involved the world in.”

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Al-Diwan

“America, which planted the Israeli entity in the Middle East region to be its spearhead, that what was decreed by the role of the Universal Zionism will not be realized,” columnist wrote for daily.

“Hence, it encountered solid resistance from the Palestinian people in the South and from the Lebanese resistance particularly in North, as such the Zionist entity is no longer in a position to expand at the expense of the Arab world.

“Today, it is America which is intensifying its efforts to fight the Islamic Republic of Iran motivated by its belief that Tehran is assisting the Arab resistance front which currently surround the Zionist entity.

“The Russian Federation in turn is currently involved in supporting the resistance front in Syria by providing it with weapons. This development has on the ground created a semi coalition between Iran and Russia to confront the American/Zionist influence in the region.

“Consequently, we saw how the US administration recently showed its desire to meet the Russian leadership which took place in Helsinki. During this meeting, America expressed its readiness to settle all differences with Russia and lift a boycott that was imposed on if Russia relinquishes Iran and the latter’s role in supporting the Arab resistance front.

“This happened because America sees if the regime in Iran is toppled, Syria will be brought down accordingly and as such both the Lebanese and the Palestinian resistances will face the same fate and this shall leave the door wide open for the Zionist entity and the Universal Zionism to dominate the entire region.”

“Malaysia, during the reign of the current Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad, was transformed from an agricultural country that depends on the production and export of raw materials into an advanced industrial country. The industry and services sector of Malaysia contributes nearly 90 percent of the GDP through the manufacture of export commodities that amount to 85 percent of the gross exports of Malaysia,”

wrote for daily. “This transformation witnessed in Malaysia during Mahathir’s reign was based on a clear vision, which the real leader was able to achieve.

“We all know that renaissance can be achieved through a clear vision and with real leaders working to achieve that vision.

“Today, Kuwait has a strategic vision called ‘New Kuwait 2035’. It is aimed at transforming Kuwait into a global financial and commercial hub based on the vision of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for achieving the desired renaissance.

“In fact, we need to translate this strategic vision in reality through our leaders using new leadership skills in order to carry out the vision of His Highness the Amir and for the leaders to be able to take the right decision at the right time and place.”

“Majority of the Arabs do not read, although reading nourishes the soul. It is the first ladder to knowledge. The first verse in the Holy Quran, which is the constitution of this nation, is ‘Read’. Reading itself is away from all this, it is a unique way of enjoyment and opens windows through which you can see the world and know its hidden facts easily,” columnist wrote for daily.

“Honestly, I cannot find an answer to the question: ‘Why we do not read?’ I cannot also determine who is responsible for not reading. The answer could be a number of reasons. I fear that some people think reading does not help, or that following social media sites which are full of nonsensical ideas are behind the lack of reading.

“Those responsible for reading in our country may think they are saving their efforts, printing expenses, books, etc, or that people do not want to read.”

“From time to time, we read statements issued by officials of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs about the start of rehabilitation program for a group of people convicted of crimes related to terrorism or extremism that involve members of the ‘lions of the peninsular’ group and ‘DAESH’ – not forgetting those who participated in the bombing of Imam Sadiq Mosque,” columnist

wrote for daily. “I really cannot understand why the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has chosen only this group of convicts for rehabilitation, wondering if there are certain merits for the criminals who are targeted for rehabilitation, and whether or not rehabilitation programs of this nature apply to others convicted for crimes related to State Security. In other words, does this rehabilitation drive, for instance, apply to the Abdali Cell?

“My intention here is not to talk about the merits of selecting those who deserve rehabilitation; instead, my focus is on those selecting those criminals. Today, our main problem is not those who have been convicted for crimes related to terrorism – at least we know they are in jails. Our problem is those who are selecting them for rehabilitation, and it is necessary to know their proper identity, ideology and tendencies. In other words, the problem is not about the ‘radicalized’ but those putting radical ideas in people’s heads and operating within the community.”

“Enough has already been said about medical errors occurring periodically in the Ministry of Health. I do not want to talk about the inferior quality of the expatriate doctors recruited from some Arab countries. I will not talk about the devastating chaos in the corridors of our hospitals, or about the almost non-existent supervision and monitoring in private hospitals and clinics,” wrote for daily.

“Focus today is on a news article as per which the ministry has sought the services of a contracting company to demolish some parts of the newlybuilt Jaber Hospital in order to facilitate the entry of some required medical equipment. One cannot help but wonder why such a step is being taken after millions of dinars have already been spent for the construction of the giant hospital. Why demolish now to allow the ‘entry’ of these equipments?

“Being a member of the Human Resources Committee affiliated to the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, I was present at one of the meetings held exactly three years ago. Do you know what happened then? The ministry’s leadership was forewarned at that time about the problems they will face if they ignore to do what is right especially with the medical equipment. However, the gentlemen turned deaf ears and insisted on the completion of the project without taking into account how these equipment will be taken in and installed in the hospital. Now it seems there is no choice but to demolish and then built again. What a waste of resources!”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb